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June 2013 Tiny Might with a 215 cubic inch Buick V8. They are an all aluminum engine used from 1961 through 1963 in not only compact Buicks, but also Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles. So I\'m told in GM circles they were referred to as BOP engines - that\'s how I came up with the name on the boat. Being a teen in the 50\'s, I fell in love with the exhaust tone of the Ford flathead V8 and the more modern V8\'s appearing on the scene then. So I wanted a V8 in the boat, but the typically-used small and big block Chevys and Fords converted for marine use are far above the 300 pounds recommended for the Tiny Might. The aluminum B.O.P. engines just fit within that limit, but though a few folks said they thought there were some marine parts for them like wet exhaust manifolds, I couldn\'t find anything. So I wound up doing quite a lot of improvising; such as having a dry exhaust system built for it, and mounting the engine backwards (flywheel and deep part of pan forward) to allow lower mounting. I also had the notion I needed reverse, but didn\'t think there was room or weight allowance for a transmission. So I mounted an electric trolling motor at right angles to the prop shaft with a bevel gear that mates with a bevel gear on a splined sleeve when that sleeve is slid aft on a splined shaft. When slid forward that splined sleeve engages a splined stub shaft on the engine to provide a direct drive. It works, but even though the bevel gears provide a 2:1 reduction, the trolling motor can\'t turn the prop very fast. Lubrication is grease which tends to splatter. A splatter shield catches most of it, but it\'s not an arrangement you\'d see on a production boat. I suppose if I had it to do over I would just use a chain coupling for direct drive, but it is sort of fun to glide away from the dock silently if there happen to be folks watching (electric drive works in forward as well as reverse).
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Photos posted June, 2012My Army buddies and I built this Glen-L Tiny Might while serving in Viet Nam in 1966/67. See the photos
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October 2015 Here's a photo of my Glen-L Tiny Might. I built this for my daughter to enjoy. Both of my girls ski and kneeboard behind it. I installed a '63 Buick 215 V-8 with a Velvet drive tranny and a 10x16 Ron Hill 3 blade SS prop. This boat is tons of fun to drive.
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